He Hates Me!
by daviderl31
Summary: This is a rewrite of the 7th last chapter of my story You Drive Me Crazy! You should probably read that one first, otherwise this might not make much sense. I have added 8 more chapters, so this one is much longer.


_This is a rewrite of Chapter Seven (the last chapter) of my story "You Drive Me Crazy!" If you haven't read that one first, you should, otherwise this one might not make a whole lot of sense. You can read that Chapter Seven, and then this one, or not._

**He Hates Me! **

23 Feb 2005

**7 **

Lorelai drove straight to Luke's and parked right in front. The crowd parted to let her go in, then crowded against the window, envious of those already inside. The word was spreading that there was going to be a confrontation between Lorelai and Luke. People were starting to gather.

Lorelai marched to the end of the counter, almost going behind it.

"We have to talk," she said.

"No we don't. Everything's already been said."

"This isn't personal, it's business."

Luke put down the pad and moved closer to her and crossed his arms.

"What kind of business?"

"I want to put in a bid on the diner." 

"What?"

"I want to buy the diner. What's your asking price?"

Luke hesitated, he hadn't thought about that.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand."

"That's too high. I'll give you seventy-five."

"You heard what I said. You want to buy this place, it's gonna cost you two hundred and fifty thousand dollars."

"You know I don't have that kind of money."

"Then we've got nothing to talk about." 

Lorelai's voice softened, she was no longer talking business.

"Luke, please don't let it be this way. We can work things out if you'll give us a chance. Please, please, can't we talk? There's so much I need to say to you, so many things you need to understand."

"We can talk when you bring me a two hundred and fifty thousand dollar check. Otherwise, don't bother coming back. There's nothing here for you."

Lorelai nodded, then slowly turned and left the diner. She could feel everyone looking at her. She stared at the ground, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes.

But she did look up when someone was blocking her way. It was Miss Patty.

And for the first time she could ever remember, Miss Patty hugged her, then let her go. 

"I'm so sorry, Dear. I know you tried."

Lorelai could barely get the words out through her tears.

"Please. Don't let him sell it."

"I'll do what I can," she replied, even though she knew that if Luke was determined to sell the diner there was nothing anyone could do.

Lorelai started walking back to the Dragonfly.

"Lorelai!" Miss Patty yelled to her. "Your car!"

Lorelai then remembered she had Rory's car, and realized the keys were in her hand.

**8 **

Rory was waiting on the porch of the inn when Lorelai drove up, and got concerned when, instead of coming in, Lorelai's head fell against the steering wheel. As she got closer Rory saw Lorelai shoulders were shaking as she sobbed.

"Mom?" Rory said to her. When she didn't respond, Rory went around the car and slid into the passenger seat, and began stroking her hair.

"Mom, what happened?" 

Lorelai barely shook her head, and continued crying.

"Come on, Mom, tell me."

Lorelai lifted her head and looked at her daughter, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"I can't talk about it."

"You have to. You can't keep it all inside." 

"Rory, please . . . ."

"Mom, you always told me we could always talk to each other, about anything. And I've come to you with my problems all my life, now it's your turn. Please tell me."

Lorelai took a ragged breath.

"He told me to leave. He said there was nothing there for me."

Her next words tore her heart out.

"He really doesn't love me!" 

"That's not true. All the things he's done for you, all the times he's been there - you don't do that and then stop loving someone just like that. You guys are just going through a bad time right now. It'll get better."

"No. It won't. I could tell. He hates me!"

"He doesn't hate you. He's just – angry, and hurt. Give it some time, you'll see."

Lorelai put her head back against the steering wheel and began sobbing again. 

"I'll be right back."

Rory got out of the car and went back into the inn.

"Michel, I'm going to have to take Mom home, there's no way she can work."

"Oh, fine. So you leave me with all the responsibilities and all the problems and all the . . . ."

"Hey! You're in management now, so manage!"

"You despise me, I just know it."

"Oh, and we're going in my car, so when she calls you, you'll have to go get her in the morning."

"Oh, goody, my most favorite thing in the world, being your mother's cabby."

"Well, good, then it all works out."

Rory walked to the car and opened the door.

"Come on, Mom, let's get out."

Rory helped her out of the car and directed her to the other side. 

"Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you home." 

"I can't just leave," Lorelai said as she closed the door.

"Yes, you can. Michel said he had everything under control."

"Michel?"

"Yes."

"Michel said it was okay for me to go home?"

"Yes. In fact, he insisted."

"My Michel?"

"Yes."

**9 **

Rory helped Lorelai climb the stairs and made sure she was comfortable in bed, then went back down to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and to look for something to fix her to eat. She ended up ordering a pizza.

Most of the pizza was uneaten. Both had little appetite.

Rory tried to take her mind off Luke by talking about whatever came to mind, but the only real response she got was when she asked if Lorelai wanted her to go talk to Luke.

"No! This is my and Luke's problem, and our business. And I damned sure don't want him thinking I'm so pathetic I had to send you to try to talk him into making up with me."

"Mom, it's my business, too. Anything that affects you, affects me. And right now it's killing me to see you so miserable and unhappy."

"Rory, I'm asking you, please, do not go to Luke's. Please, please, don't."

Rory half-hearted agreed.

After Lorelai finally fell asleep, Rory went downstairs to sleep in her own bed. 

The next morning, Rory got up at 5:30. She knew Luke opened the diner at six, and she wanted to be there before there were too many customers.

She put a note on the nightstand next to Lorelai's bed.

Mom,  
I left early because of an eight o'clock class. Michel said he would come after you when you are ready to go to work. I'll call later. Things will be okay, you'll see.  
Love, Rory

Rory got to the diner just as Luke unlocked the door and turned over the "Open / Closed" sign to read "Open."

He was back behind the counter when she went in.

"Rory!" He was surprised to see her. "Coffee?"

"No thanks. I want to talk to you, about you and Mom."

"There's nothing to say."

"Yes, there is! There's a lot to say."

"Rory, we are NOT going to have this discussion."

"Why not?" 

"Well, first of all, it's none of your business." 

"Like hell it isn't! Whatever affects Mom, affects me. You should know that better than anyone! So that makes it my business."

"No, this is between me and your mother, not you! You need to go on back to Hartford and let us work this out, or not."

"Why are you being so mean to her? She's done everything she can think of to show you how sorry she is. Okay, she screwed up. She should have told she was with Dad, but she said nothing happened, and I believe her, why can't you? And she certainly didn't invite him to Grandma and Grandpa's wedding. That was all Emily's doing. How can you blame her for that? And how can you blame her for Dad's stupid . . . stupidity? Do you know she cried herself to sleep last night? She thinks you don't love her."

"She might be ri. . . ."

"That's CRAP! Everything you've done for her all these years; all the times as you've pulled her out of a jam, or taken her side even when you knew she was wrong? You don't do that and then just fall out of love over one or two little things."

"Going to jail was a little thing?"

"Okay, you're right, going to jail was bad. But surely you don't think she did it because she cares more about Dad than she does you. They put her in a no-win situation. And even you have to admit, ten days in jail doesn't even begin to compare to five years in prison. If there had been any other way out, she would have taken it. You're blaming her for something she had no control over!"

Rory was suddenly out of breath. And had run out of arguments.

"Are you finished?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Good, because I've got customers to care of."

"So, that's it?"

"You said your piece, I listened to it. What else do you want me to do?"

"You could call Mom, tell her you want to work things out."

"Good bye, Rory."

Rory got as far as the door, then turned around.

"I'd appreciate it you wouldn't tell her I was here – in case you should happen to talk to her."

"That's not likely to happen." 

**10 **

Lorelai awoke with a start. She'd had a bad dream, but it disappeared too quickly for her to remember any of it. She looked over at the bed-side clock. It was a little after eight. Then she found Rory's letter. After reading it, she forced herself to get out of bed and get into the shower. By 10:30 she was dressed and calling Michel to come after her.

"It has been crazy, simply crazy!" He was complaining as they drove to the Dragonfly. "All those idiotic people wanting breakfast! What did you do, change the name to Denny's and neglected to tell me?"

"Michel, what are you talking about?"

"The people! They come from everywhere. All of them wanting the eggs and pancakes and sausages and bacon . . . !" 

"Are you saying there's a breakfast crowd?"

"Finally! You understand me! Yes, a breakfast mob is more like it! And the guests are getting angry because there are no tables for them to sit."

When they arrived at the Dragonfly, the parking lot was full, overflowing, and there were people waiting on the porch for tables to open up.

"Sookie? What's going on?"

"Oh, isn't it wonderful? We're starting to transition from breakfast into lunch and the place is still packed! I had to call everyone in! You don't mind, do you? We were swamped from the time we opened." 

"No, if you needed them, sure, you did the right thing." 

Lorelai walked back into the kitchen. There were four cooks, plus Sookie, and they were all busy.

Then it hit Lorelai what was going on.

"Sookie, don't you know what's happening?" 

"We're having the best breakfast and lunch crowd since we opened?"

"No. Well, yes. But it's all because of me and Luke. Everyone's taking sides. The people here are on my side, and Luke is probably just as busy, or busier, with the ones who think he's in the right. Oh, poor Luke, he's must be completely overwhelmed with just Caesar and Lane there."

"Poor Luke? You mean the Poor Luke who broke your heart? And the Poor Luke who's treating you like yesterday's trash? THAT Poor Luke?"

"Sookie, just because we're having problems, doesn't mean I don't love . . . It doesn't mean that I want things to go badly for him. He must be going crazy."

Lorelai walked back into the dining room. 

"Lorelai, honey!"

It was Miss Patty.

"Sookie makes the most wonderful pecan-strawberry Belgium waffles! I never knew!"

"Patty, what's the matter with everybody?" 

"Well, you know how people are. Some of them are still angry with you about sending Luke to jail."

"I didn't send him . . . ."

"And some of them think Luke was acting just dreadful, the way he threw you out of the diner."

"He didn't throw me . . . ."

"So, the town is divided about who was wrong and who should have accepted the olive branch." 

"God, I SO didn't want this to hap . . . ."

"Of course, Taylor's in hog heaven with all his 'I told you so's'- but what else would you expect from him?"

**11 **

By three o'clock things had slowed down enough that Lorelai decided to leave for awhile. She hadn't planned to, but she ended up driving to the diner.

The place was full, and there were people milling around outside, waiting for a table.

She could barely see through the window, but well enough to see Lane and Luke as they tried to keep up with the food orders. She could tell that Luke wasn't happy about it. Having a steady stream of customers was the way he liked it, but being overwhelmed was not.

More than once Lorelai had to stop herself from going inside to offer her help. But she knew he'd never take it. And she surely didn't want another humiliating confrontation.

Then it jumped out at her – the For Sale sign was still there!

After a few more minutes Lorelai drove back to the Dragonfly. She sat in her Jeep, watching the people coming and going. And she made a decision.

If Luke wanted nothing to do with her, then fine. She had Rory, and Sookie, the Dragonfly, and a life separate from Luke. She was an independent, responsible woman with a good life; not great, but good enough. And for now, that would have to do.

After two weeks had passed, things had settled down. Breakfast, lunch and dinner didn't have the huge numbers of people coming, but it remained busy. Lorelai noticed customers she'd seen at Luke's. And she was sure he was getting some of hers. She was glad of that.

**12 **

It was Sunday evening and Rory was finishing up her laundry. She came every Friday afternoon so her mother wouldn't have to spend weekends alone, coming home to an empty house each night was bad enough.

"When are you going to start back with your grandparents' dinners?"

"I haven't made up my mind yet. When I think you're okay."

"Sweetie, I'm fine. You don't have to rush over here just as soon as classes are over." 

"I know, but I just want to."

"You're a good daughter, I taught you well."

"Yes, I am, and yes, you did."

They sat mindlessly, looking at the television screen without watching it, both lost in their own thoughts.

"Have you . . . talked to your dad?"

"No."

"I'm sure he'd like to hear from you."

"Too bad. Right now I'm mad at him."

"You can't stay mad forever. You should call him."

"I'll call when I'm ready. And I'm not ready."

"Rory, call him. Just because he and I aren't on speaking terms doesn't mean you should shut him out of your life. He does love you, you know."

"I know. And I love him. I just don't want to talk to him, that's all."

They sat for a few more minutes.

"I was thinking about calling him." Lorelai said.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know." 

"You don't want to get back with him, do you? Not after everything that's happened?"

"No. Of course not. It was just a thought."

They watched TV a little longer.

"You really think I should call him?"

"I really do."

Rory took a deep breath.

"Hand me the phone."

Rory dialed the number and waited.

"Dad. Hi, it's me, Rory." 

"Hey, Kiddo! It's good to hear from you. How're you doing? How's Yale?"

"Good, both good. And you?" 

"Getting by okay."

"How's Gigi?"

"Oh, she's great! Growing like a weed! Doing new things every day." 

"Good, that's really good."

"Um, how's your mom?"

"She's okay. The Dragonfly is doing really well, and things are good."

As Rory and Christopher continued to talk, Lorelai was nervously biting the inside of her bottom lip. Finally, she held her hand out to Rory.

"Uh, Dad, I think Mom wants to talk to you."

Lorelai took the phone.

**13 **

"Hi, Christopher."

"Lorelai, it's good to hear your voice. Rory said you're doing okay."

"Not bad."

"Look, I'm really sorry about everything. And if you would, will you tell Luke?"

"Luke and I aren't talking at the moment. But if I see him, I will."

Christopher felt a glimmer of hope. 

"Look, I was wondering if maybe you and I could get together and talk, or something. I'd really like to clear the air." 

"I don't know."

"Maybe we can have coffee some afternoon. No tequila, no all night thing, just daylight coffee." 

"Chris . . . ."

"I'd really like to make things right with you, and it'd go a long way to making Rory not mad at me."

"She's not mad at you."

"Sure she is. I could hear it in her voice."

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt."

"Great! How about tomorrow afternoon, about three? You could come over here."

"Well, I guess I could get away."

"Maybe you could bring Rory, if you feel too uncomfortable about being here by yourself."

"Let me check. Rory, I'm going to go over to you dad's tomorrow about three o'clock, for coffee. You want to join us?"

"I can't, I've got a class, and there's always a thing at the paper." 

"She can't make it, but I'll see you, about three." 

"Great!"

"Here's Rory."

Lorelai handed the phone back to Rory.

"Well, Dad, I guess I'll go. It was good to talk to you."

"Yeah, me too. If you get a chance, you should come over, see Gigi."

"Okay, I'll do that. 'Bye."

Just as soon as she hung up, Rory pounced on her mother.

"Why are you going over there?" 

"To talk, for coffee. Give him a chance to . . . say what he wants to say."

"Then it's really over with you and Luke?"

"I guess, I don't know. I suppose it is." 

Lorelai could see Rory's eyes begin to glisten.

"I don't want it to be over."

Lorelai could feel her own eyes moisten.

"I don't either, Sweetie, but it looks like that's the way Luke wants it, so I guess that's the way it is."

"So you're going to make up with Dad?" Rory accused her. "It didn't work out with Luke, so now you're going to go running back to him." 

"Rory, it's only coffee."

"NOW! So what about the next time? Or the time after that?" Rory was beginning to get angry.

"Oh, I know, you can be me, and Dad can be Dean, and you can be the other woman, just like I was!"

"Rory, don't."

"You always wanted me to follow in your footsteps, so now you have the chance to follow in mine. We can be the Gilmore Sluts!"

"RORY! I said stop! You're making more out of this than there is! I'm NOT going to sleep with Christopher!"

The two glared at each other.

"Honey, please, let's not fight. Things have been hard enough. Don't let anything come between us, okay?"

"Okay." 

They sat in silence, not angry but not yet made up.

Lorelai got a devilish grin on her face.

"I know! Let's go to Dragonfly and raid the fridge! I'm starving!"

"But there's only healthy food there."

"Oh, no, my dear. Sookie's got TONS of cake and pies and tarts and cream fillings and home-made ice cream and all the bad things we just love to eat!" 

"Then let's go!"

The two grabbed their coats and purses.

"I'm driving!" Rory shouted as they ran out of the house.

"You got it, Babe!"

**14 **

The next morning Rory and Lorelai got up early so Rory could make her 8 a.m. class. Lorelai was at the Dragonfly by 8:30. Sookie was fussing and fuming when Lorelai went into the kitchen for coffee.

"That Tobin! I'm going to KILL him!"

"Why? What's the matter?"

You should have seen this place! It was a disaster! There were dirty dishes all over the place, and all my desserts pans had been eaten out of, and crumbs were everywhere! It looks like he had a party in here!"

"Sookie! It wasn't Tobin, it was Rory and me. We had a girls night out, here."

"You and Rory?"

"Yeah. We had . . . a thing, some bad words between us, and so I suggested we raid your fridge. We just had to get out, do something crazy. These last few weeks hasn't been any fun, and we just needed to cut loose. I'm sorry we left everything in shambles, but it was late when we got back home. We didn't get to bed until almost two."

"You two had words? Was it serious?"

"No, not really. I told Rory she should call Christopher. And I talked to him some, and told him I'd go over to his place to talk."

"You're going to see him? When?" 

"This afternoon. Anyway, Rory was upset about that, and she thinks I've written off my relationship with Luke."

"Have you?"

"Well, as long as Luke feels like he does, I don't see much of a future for us. She accused me of trying to get back with Christopher. And that's what the argument was about."

"Are you?"

"No. We're just going to have coffee, and talk, that's all. And I'm sorry the place was such a mess, I should have gotten here earlier to help you clean up."

"No, that's okay. You guys needed to have some girl time together. So, you're really going to go see him?"

"Yes, this afternoon at three."

**15 **

Lorelai was in front of Christopher's house right at three, unusual for her. She was having second thoughts, but finally decided it was something that had to be done. She got out of her Jeep, went up to the house and rang the bell.

"Lorelai! You're early." 

"It's three. And I said I'd be here at three, so here I am."

"Come in. Usually your three is three thirty or three forty-five."

"Turning over a new leaf."

"You'll have to give me a second, I haven't got the coffee on yet. Or would you rather have something stronger?"

"No, coffee's fine. Where's Gigi?"

"I asked my neighbor if she'd watch her for a while, so we could talk without any interruptions." 

"She?"

"She's fifteen, and she's gone through that baby-sitting class. She's very good with Gigi." 

They went into the kitchen while Christopher made the coffee. 

"So you and Luke are having problems, huh? Well, I hope it wasn't because of me."

"Don't start that innocent crap with me, Christopher, you know damn well it was."

"Okay, I'm sorry, don't get mad. That's not why I asked you here. I don't want talk about you and him. I want to talk about us." 

"There is no us."

"I just can't win today, can I?"

Lorelai sighed an impatient sigh.

"Cut to the chase, Chris, say what you have to say."

"You're right, this is coming out all wrong. First, I'm really sorry about how I acted at the wedding. I know I had too much to drink, and I shot my mouth off when I shouldn't have. But seeing you with him – I was jealous and . . . and – Lorelai, I love you, you know that, everyone does. I just wanted us to sit down, and for you to hear me out, but things got out of control."

"I'm here now, so say it."

"It's not the same, not after all that. It'll sound like I'm trying to capitalize on you and Luke breaking up." 

"And you're not?"

"This isn't how I wanted to do this."

Nothing was said for a while, until the coffee was ready.

"Have you heard from Sherry?" 

"Got a post card from her a couple of days ago."

"Post card? Do people still send them?"

"She did. She said she had talked to a lawyer, and she'd get back to me."

"That's all?"

"It wasn't a very big post card. So I figure I'll be getting divorce papers any day now."

"I'm sorry." 

"Well, breakups happen."

"Yeah, they do." 

"Lorelai, this could be our chance! We're both drifting, we both need someone to be with, someone to depend on, to care for. What do you say?"

"Chris . . . ."

"Okay, too fast. But think about it? I'm not looking for an answer right away. Take a week, two weeks, a month. Just give it some thought?"

"I'd like that coffee now."

Lorelai got back to the Dragonfly a little after five.

"Well?" Sookie asked. "How'd it go?"

"Not too bad. We talked, had coffee, played with Gigi a little."

"Come on, Lorelai, I need more that that!"

"When I first got there, he brought up the fiasco at that wedding thing, and kind of apologized. And then he asked me to think about us getting back together."

"What did you say?"

"I didn't. I just left it hanging. He said he was thinking about calling Rory to see if she would like to have some kind of picnic or something with him and Gigi next Saturday. Of course, he was hinting around for me to run it past her first. And that was about all."

"Well, it's a start, for him and Rory."

**16 **

The next afternoon after the lunch rush, Lorelai was at the desk with Michel. She was on the computer verifying reservations when Michel said, "Oh, no, he's coming in."

"Who?" she asked, not really paying attention.

"HIM! That man you hate for breaking your poor little heart."

"Luke?"

She looked up to see him walking through the front door. He was carrying a package.

She came out from behind the desk to meet him. 

"Hi," she said hesitantly. "Uh, welcome to the Dragonfly."

"Yeah. Hi. Look, I was in the neighborhood, and I thought, since I was coming this way anyway, I'd drop this off."

He handed her the package.

"What is it?" 

"Your boots. You know, the ones I ordered for you, from the boat catalog."

"Oh! I forgot all about them."

"Yeah, well they came in a few weeks ago, and I put them in the store room, and stuff got piled up on them, and I just ran across them and thought maybe you'd like to have them."

"Oh, yeah, sure, thanks. I appreciate you bringing them by. Wow."

Luke hesitated, then turned as if to go.

"Oh, wait! I guess I should pay you for them."

"Well, okay, if you want to." 

"Unless we're going to share them . . . ."

"No. I doubt if I could get my big toe in a size nine."

"Well, you do have really, really big feet."

"Uh, thanks, I guess."

"So, um, how much were they?"

"About 78."

Lorelai pulled four twenties out of the cash register.

"How about if we call it eighty? Seventy-eight plus two dollars delivery charge."

"Sure, that's fine with me."

She handed him the money and he started toward the door. She hesitated just a fraction of a second, then walked with him.

"So, how's the diner?"

"Not bad, busy." 

"Yeah, us too."

"I hired another cook, Caesar's first cousin once removed, or something like that. He's doing okay."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"And I hired Zack. I needed another waiter and someone to bus tables."

"Lane's Zack?"

"Yeah. He's a little clumsy, and sometimes he forgets which orders go to which tables. I may end up having to number them."

"So, don't quit your night job, huh?" 

"Do what?"

"You know – they play music at night. Don't quit playing because you suck at waitering."

"Oh, yeah. That went right past me, didn't it?"

"That's okay, I'm just babbling anyway."

"The inn looks real good, you're doing a real good job here."

"Well, thanks. As an investor, I guess you should check it out once in a while. Oh, no!"

"Now what?"

"The payments! You know, the agreement we made for me paying you back? I realize I am way, WAY behind, and I know I should have been paying you regularly, but you kept telling me not to worry about it, and so I didn't. But I'll get it caught up, soon, in a couple of days." 

"Well, I guess there's no real rush about it, it's not like I don't know where to find you."

"But we've been so busy the last couple of weeks, and I just haven't been keeping the books updated, but I will, today, this evening, or maybe tomorrow."

By now they were on the porch.

"I swear to you, tomorrow afternoon, I'll have your check in the mail."

"Maybe that's not such a good idea."

"You don't take checks?"

"No, a check's fine, I meant the mail."

"What's wrong with the mail?"

"Well, you know how unreliable it can be sometimes. And you're always hearing stories about all these thousands of pieces of mail some mail carrier has stashed in his house."

"Oh, yeah, you're right. Terrible stories."

Without thinking, Lorelai laid her hand on Luke's upper arm and swore she felt something - electricity, a tingle. But Luke didn't seem to feel it, so she moved her hand off.

"So I was thinking, if you happen to be in the neighborhood, you could, maybe, I don't know, just drop it off, at the diner? I'm always there."

"YES!" Lorelai thought to herself. 'YES! YES! YES!"

"Um, sure. I can do that." She hoped she didn't sound anxious or too eager about it. 

"Okay, then I'll see you in a day or two, at the diner." 

"Yes, you will."

**17 **

Lorelai watched Luke drive off, feeling better than she had in a month. 

Suddenly she felt arms around her, Sookie's arms as she tried dancing with Lorelai.

"You're back! You're back! I heard it! You're going back to the diner!" she sang. "He wants you back!"

"I'm just delivering an overdue check, that's all."

"I know . . . . You're BACK!"

"You think?"

"God, yes! Oh, I'm so happy for you guys!" 

Sookie finally released Lorelai.

"Now, let's see what kind of make-up present he brought."

"It's not a make-up present. They're boots I ordered from his boat catalog back before all this started."

"Well, I wanna see 'em." 

They went back into the inn and opened the package. Lorelai picked up the boots to show her.

Sookie and Lorelai looked at each other.

"My God, Lorelai, why would you ever want anything like that?"

"Well . . . they were cuter in the catalog. Man! They are ugly, aren't they?"

"You going to give them back?"

"No way! Luke brought them to me, and maybe they're going to bring us back together. I couldn't get rid of them now no matter what."

Lorelai dropped them back in the box.

"I'm going to put them in the Jeep. And I guess I'll call Rory to let her know her dad's going to be calling her."

Lorelai placed the box in the passenger seat when her cell phone rang. It was Rory.

"Hey, Mom, how are you doing?"

"Great! I'm doing SO great, you just wouldn't believe!"

"Why? What happened?"

"I have got news, I have got good news, and I have got great news!"

"So, tell me."

"Well, first, I went to see your dad."

"Is that the news news, or the good news?"

"That's the news news. He wants to see you Saturday, something about a picnic or something with you and him and Gigi. And I really think you should do it."

"But I don't want to leave you all alone."

"No, that's okay. I have more news, the good news."

"What?" 

"Luke was here. He's only been gone ten or fifteen minutes."

"So, how was he? Mad? Glad? Sad?"

"Well, back before all the problems started, I had ordered these really cute yellow boots from his boat catalog, which turned out to be the Ugly Boots From Hell, but anyway, he finally got around to bringing them to me."

"So, you guys are talking like civilized people again?"

"Yes! So now, do you want to hear the great news?"

"Of course."

"Well, I haven't been paying back the money he loaned me for the work on the inn, being that we were sweethearts and all. So I told him I'd get a check in the mail to him, and he said the mail sucks, and – are you ready? – he told me to bring it to him, AT THE DINER!"

Lorelai had to pull the phone from her ear to keep from going deaf from Rory's squeals of delight.

"So we can go back to the diner again?" 

"YES!" Lorelai shouted back, and they squealed together. 

"Oh, thank God! The coffee! The pure Nectar-of-the-Gods coffee! How did we ever survive without Luke's coffee?"

"I don't know, Babe, but I've got a feeling our dry spell is OVER!" 

"I'm smiling! I can't stop smiling!"

"I know! Me too!"

"I'm so happy!"

"Me too!"

"I'm STILL smiling!"

"Me too!"

They squealed again. 

"Okay," Lorelai said, "Time to get serious. Like all great, momentous events, there is always a small gray cloud hanging around."

"Uh oh."

"No, it's not that bad. You see, right now, we are entering into a very delicate, carefully balanced, situation. Your dad cannot find out that Luke and I may be getting back together. And Luke cannot know I saw your dad. Not right now, anyway."

"Why not?"

"When I went to see your dad he suggested that maybe after a month or so we could maybe try it again. Now, I know he's going to talk to you about it, and he'll probably want you to get me to seriuosly consider it. But if he knows Luke and I are talking again, he'll put that much more pressure on you, and I don't want that. So, if he asks you anything about it at all, just tell him you don't know anything. Just say you're completely out of the loop."

"So, you want me to lie to him?"

"Yes! Lie, lie, lie until your teeth are bloody stumps!"

"Okay, if that's what you want."

"I do. Later, if things get back on track with Luke and me, then you can tell him, but right now, a lie would be better for all of us." 

"What about Luke? You got in trouble before because you didn't tell him about you and dad."

"I know, and I'll tell him, eventually. But right now, things are still . . . very uncertain, and I don't want to give him any reason not to want to make up."

"Okay. . . . You know what? I'm still smiling."

"Me too."

By the time they hung up, Lorelai was back on the porch. She took a deep breath. The air smelled particularly fresh. She could hear birds singing somewhere. And the sky looked a little bluer than normal.

"This is a good day," she said to no one in particular. "A very, very good day."

**18 **

Lorelai had the check ready that afternoon, but she forced herself to wait until the next day. She didn't want Luke to think she was too eager, like she was pushing.

She pulled up in front of the diner at 2:30, and sat there, trying to work up her courage. And just about the time she felt okay, she realized the For Sale sign was no longer in the window.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She repeated over and over to herself.

She saw Luke through the window behind the counter. Then he saw her and waved. She smiled, definitely a good sign.

When she got inside, she went to the end of the counter by the cash register.

"Hi."

"Hi, yourself."

"Got your check."

"Good."

"I wasn't sure if you wanted four checks, one for each month, or just one big check to cover it all. So, I just wrote one check. I figured it's be less to write down on the deposit slip."

"One check is fine."

She handed it to him, and he put it in his shirt pocket.

"You don't want to look at it, to make sure it's the right amount?"

"No. I trust you."

"Well, okay then."

They stood there, trying to think of something to say.

"You want some coffee?"

"God, yes! I thought you'd never ask!"

"You do know this is a diner, and you're supposed to ask me? You do know that, don't you?" Luke asked as he poured the coffee.

"Yes, I know that. I just wasn't sure how this . . . you and me . . . was . . . is . . . supposed to . . . go."

Luke handed her the cup and she drank half of it down without stopping.

"That's hot, you know."

"Ooh! Yes, very, VERY hot!"

She drank down the rest of it then held the cup out to be refilled.

"Do you have another minute or two?"

"I guess."

"Well, I thought, if you had the time, maybe we could . . . talk?" 

Lorelai set the cup down, the coffee was forgotten.

"I've got all afternoon."

Luke looked around for someplace private.

"Let's go in the back room."

Lorelai followed him into the storeroom and he shut the door. Her stomach was in knots.

"Lorelai, if we're going to make this work, we need to be honest with each other, completely, one hundred percent honest, about everything."

"I know."

"So, in keeping with our new honesty-is-the-best, the ONLY, policy – about the package. It wasn't down here, it was upstairs. I took it up there when it first came just to remind me of how really pissed off I was at you. But the more I saw it, the more it reminded me of the day you had me order the boots, and how everything up till then had been going so good for us. And so, the other day, I said, 'What the hell, it's worth a shot, take her the damn boots. If she throws me out of the inn, so be it.' So that's what I did."

"And I am SO glad you did!"

"I'm not finished."

"Oh, okay, sorry, continue."

"Rory came to see me."

"I distinctly told her not to!"

"I know. Anyway, she said some things, things I should have paid attention to, but I didn't. She said I was being mean to you, and she was right. She said I was blaming you for things that weren't your fault, which I was. She said you were put in the middle of a no-win situation, which you were. And she said you thought I didn't love you, which is completely untrue."

Lorelai's heart was racing a thousand miles per hour and she was fighting back tears.

"I was mad at you, mad as Hell. I felt you had turned against me and you were getting back together with Christopher."

"But I wasn't!"

"I didn't know that, and the whole time I was in jail, all I could see was you two together. Actually, it wasn't that bad. If I hadn't been so angry, it could have been a not-so-bad vacation. Of course, I'd rather had been fishing. But Rory was right about my ten days in there not comparing to the five years Christopher was looking at. Of course, I wasn't too crazy about the fine . . . ."

"Oh, Luke! I'm so sorry, I forgot all about that. I'll pay you back every last nickel, I promise you."

"No, you won't. But what I was getting at, is that, well, I'm sorry about everything. I know you've been through Hell because of my jealousy, and because of my ignorant, stupid pride, and I'm . . . sorry."

"Apology accepted. But, since we're being honest here, I have a small confession, myself."

"Okay." Luke felt himself tense up.

"Those boots you ordered for me?"

"Yeah?" 

"I hate them. They're the ugliest boots known to man." 

They laughed together.

"I can send them back." 

"No, you can't do that."

"Why not? If they're so terrible, why would you want keep them?"

"Because a girl can never have enough pairs of ugly boots in her closet." 

"Well, I'm glad we got that settled."

**19 **

It was Lorelai's turn to take a deep breath.

"Luke, there IS something I need to tell you. And it involves Christopher." 

Lorelai could see Luke's jaw muscles tense up; he knew it wasn't something he wanted to hear about.

"If we're going to be completely honest with each other, you need to let me say this."

"I'm listening."

"I've seen Christopher."

"You're SEEING him?"

"No! I SAW him, once. And I talked to him, one time. Sunday night I told Rory she should call him. He's her dad and they should have a relationship. So she did, and I spoke to him. He said he was sorry things got out of hand like it did, and he wanted me to tell you that. But I told him we weren't . . . together. And I agreed to meet him, let him explain and to apologize. So I went over to his house Monday afternoon. We talked, we had coffee, and we played with Gigi. That's his daughter."

"I know who Gigi is." 

"And, as I expected, he asked me to give us another chance. But he said to take my time, a month if that's what it took." 

"And you told him . . . ?"

"Nothing. I was still hoping maybe, somehow, you and I could still work things out. So that's it. You and I are together, and Christopher is out of the picture; our picture, but not Rory's."

Luke took a deep breath.

"Luke, I've never been any good with men; with relationships. Somehow, some way I've always, well almost always, screwed things up - Max, Jason, all of them. But the one thing I've always been sure of, the one thing I knew I could always count on, was your friendship. And even though everyone told me over and over you were the one I should be with, I think deep down inside I was afraid that I would mess that up, too. But when you kissed me that first time, something made me realize what a good thing, no, what a GREAT thing I'd had standing right in front of me all these years! And I took the chance, hoping I wouldn't screw it up this time." 

Lorelai was starting to sniff back tears.

"And that made it even worse. I was so afraid to tell you anything I knew you wouldn't want to hear, or would make you mad, that I just said nothing at all. And I'm so, so sorry I did it wrong."

Luke pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her. She returned the embrace, squeezing him so tightly if he'd been a smaller man she was sure she would have crushed his chest like an egg shell.

But he wasn't. He was big, and strong, and he was hers.

Luke stroked her hair with one hand, the other tightly around her back. He'd forgotten how great she smelled, and how wonderful it was to hold her, and to feel her warm body pressed against his.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Lane started to come in, but stopped and put one hand over her mouth. But Luke could see her whole face light up behind her hand.

He gave her a small smile and a wink. She backed out of the room, closing the door. Then he heard her laughing scream of happiness.

Lorelai backed far away enough to look up at him.

"I promise you, Luke Danes, you will be AMAZED at what a great girlfriend I'm going to be! I'll tell you so much stuff, you'll beg me to shut up. I'll be so honest, it'll make you sick. I'll be supportive and truthful and loyal and all those other Boy Scout things, and the Girl Scouts things, and the Brownies, and . . . ."

"Maybe you should leave a few adjectives for me. I need to be just as good a boyfriend."

"You've always been that. Always and forever and ever."

Luke leaned down and their lips met, softly at first, then harder, with more passion.

There was a knock on the door.

"Luke?" Lane's muffled voice said. "When you get a second, could you come out here? There's a problem with the cash register."

"Be right there."

"I guess I should be getting back to the Dragonfly. Sookie's probably had a heart attack by now."

"And I should probably do something, too. Look, I still close up at ten, so if you want to drop by, we could have coffee, or something – upstairs."

Lorelai grinned.

"I'd love to have coffee, or something – upstairs."

They kissed once, twice more, and left the storeroom. Luke walked her to the front door, banging once on the side of the register as he passed it, causing the drawer to pop open.

Luke stood on the sidewalk as he watched Lorelai drove off.

He took a deep breath. The air suddenly smelled particularly fresh. Somewhere he could hear birds singing. And the sky looked a little bluer than normal.

"This is a good day," he said to no one in particular. "A very, very good day."


End file.
